Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Being A Houseguest at the Holidays

Are you traveling for the holidays? If you are staying with a friend or family member, it is very important to be a respectful houseguest. Hosting guests is very stressful, but you can help make it easier for your loved one. Read over these tips, and you can comment below with some tips of your own. You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.



Keep your belongings, neatly, in your room.

As someone who aspires, at least, to keep her house in order, I really appreciate it when my guests do their best to keep their suitcases and extra belongings in their designated areas. Of course, items like coats and shoes (which we don't wear in the house), are left out, and I am happy when guests take it upon themselves to notice where they belong and put them there.


Take care of your own special needs.

If your hostess asks about things you can't (or prefer not to) eat, it's okay to be honest— to a point. But if you have specific dietary or health needs, it's nice to take care of them yourself rather than expecting your hostess to learn about and provide for your needs. For instance, before I was more familiar with gluten-free diets and before gluten-free alternatives were ubiquitous, a houseguest of mine brought her own gluten-free pasta. I appreciated her foresight and consideration — and that, for the sake of my preparations, she told me she would do this beforehand.


Fit in.

Try to notice the rhythms and rituals of your hosts. If their habit is to sit and eat around the table together, join them rather than grazing, even if that's what you're used to. If your hosts enjoy conversation once all the kids are down, spend some time with them even if all you want to do is go to bed yourself! On the other hand, if you know your hosts go to bed earlier than you do, assure them that you're fine up on your own or even retreat to your space so your hosts feel comfortable leaving the common area as well.


Strip the sheets.

This could depend on how well you know your hosts, but this act, to me, shows a thoughtfulness about the practical side of having houseguests and a willingness to help however possible — and this means a lot. If you're not on a do-my-laundry-in-your-washer level of familiarity, leave the bed linens and towels in a tidy pile. Otherwise, if you can swing it, do the sheets and put them back on the bed. My mother always does this, and recent houseguests did this for me and what a relief! How nice to leave your host's place even better than when you got there.

How To Use Leftover Coffee Grounds

Do you know those coffee grounds that you thought you could not use?  There are five ways that you can re-purpose spent coffee grounds.  Keep reading this blog to learn how you can use them for cleaning, compost, and other various home solutions.  You can learn more at The Kitchn.




5 Ways to Use Spent Coffee Grounds
1. Compost

The great thing about sticking to simple brew methods that use only a paper filter and coffee grounds is that both are compostable. Used coffee grounds happen to be rich in nitrogen, which makes them great for composting. (Worms love coffee almost as much as you do!) In a compost pile, aim for a ratio of one part leaves to one part fresh grass clippings to one part coffee grounds. Keep in mind that freshly brewed coffee grounds won't have the same effect on your garden; you need to be sure that they have broken down and composted first.

2. Clean dishes

Because of the rough texture of coffee grounds, they work great as an abrasive, which means you can use them to clean tough-to-wash dishes. Simply place some grounds into a cleaning rag and twist the ends with a rubber band to secure them in place. Then you have an excellent DIY coffee sponge to clean with.

3. Exfoliate

Just like coffee grounds are a good abrasive for cleaning your dishes and kitchenware, they can also serve as an exfoliant for your skin. Simply mix with equal parts olive oil and massage into your skin. The coffee grounds exfoliate, while the olive oil serves as a moisturizer.

4. Fix furniture scratches

Have a kitchen table that needs a little love? Mixed with warm water and vinegar, coffee can be rubbed into scratches to keep your furniture looking good as new.

5. Keep your refrigerator fresh

Similar to baking soda, coffee grounds can serve as a deodorizer. Simply place a bowl of grounds in your refrigerator to suck up all the bad smells.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Keep Warm This Winter

We wish that we could have warm weather throughout the year. However, we have found 25 great tips to keep you warm this winter through the harshest storms.  It may be cold outside, but with these tips you will feel it is summer. Apartment Therapy has some great ideas that will help you stay nice and toasty through the cold winter months.


The battle with winter is a long one, fraught with snow and cold. If you need a couple more arrows in your quiver, check out these 25 household practices that help you keep you warm as the temperatures drop, save time in the freezing mornings before work, and hopefully conserve energy during the dark months. Individually they don't sound like much, but collectively they help you kick winter's butt to the curb.

1. Cover your windshield wipers with old socks before storms. Ice won’t build up and make it hard to use them. Similarly, cover rearview mirrors with plastic bags.
2. Park your car facing east to take full advantage of the sun.
3. Make your own windshield washer fluid from 1 quart alcohol, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon regular dish detergent.
4. After taking off wet shoes and boots, stuff them with newspaper to absorb moisture quickly.
5. To take advantage of passive solar, open up curtains during the day to let the sunshine and heat in.
6. Prevent drafts by installing foam cutouts behind outlet covers on the walls.
7. Make your own hand warmers with resealable plastic bags and ice-melt pellets.
8. Cover your windows with bubble wrap for added insulation.
9. Reverse your ceiling fan to keep warm air at floor level versus in your stairwell or ceilings.
10. Pre-warm your bed with either a hot water bottle or electric blanket. Stick your pjs in there to get them all toasty before you get changed for bed.
11. Wrap foam pipe insulation around the bottom of exterior doors to prevent drafts.
12. Fill a shallow plastic tray with rocks to store your boots when you come in from the snow.
13. Spray pipe exterior and joints with WD-40 during the winter to help prevent them from bursting.
14. Use tin foil behind your radiator or heating vents to reflect heat back into the house.
15. Use a disposable razor to get rid of your sweater pills.
16. Make DIY boot toppers out of old sweaters.
17. Make homemade sidewalk and driveway de-icers.
18. Rig some thermal curtains to temporarily install over your windows.
19. Make your own fire starters.
20. Skewer a dryer sheet with the bristles of your hairbrush, and leave it on to get rid of static while you brush your hair.
21. Spray your shovel with nonstick cooking spray, or WD-40, before you use it so snow doesn't stick to it.
22. Attach mitten clips to your cuffs (and loop around your insole) to keep your pants down while wearing boots.
23. Save money by closing the heater vents in rooms you aren’t using.
24. When faced with a frozen lock, use heat rub intended for sore muscles. Hand sanitizer (with 60% alcohol) or a key heated by a lighter, is also rumored to do the trick.
25. Keep moisture in the area with a teakettle or saucepan of water boiling on the range or wood stove. Add mulling spices for a nice scent in addition to the more humid air.

Prepare for A Future Sick Day

The fall and winter are approaching fast.  We hope everyone stays healthy and happy.  However, it never hurts to be prepared for the cold and flu.  Here are some items to stock up on for the future.  These are all great to have in your kitchen for a sick day that you or a family member have this year.  You can learn more at Apartment Therapy.


The Drink Essentials

Herbal Tea: Make sure your stash is well-stocked, as herbal tea is probably the #1 go-to drink for most of us when we get sick. Black and green teas are nice too, but don't soothe the throat quite as well.

Honey: Tea by itself is fine, but tea with honey is extra soothing...

Lemons: ... and even more so if you add a squeeze of lemon. In fact, why not just go ahead and make this ginger honey and lemon tonic? The shot of whiskey in the recipe is optional, but highly recommended. (Trust me.)

Ginger and/or High-Quality Ginger Ale: You'll want fresh ginger for the tonic above, or to make any one of these stomach-soothing teas. You may also want to pick up a bottle or two of high-quality ginger ale — the kind made with real ginger, not just ginger flavoring and sugar — when you're 
feeling like a little light carbonation would be helpful.

Orange juice or oranges: Give yourself an extra shot of vitamin C with a glass of orange juice, even better if it's freshly-squeezed. (But hey, you're sick! Do whatever is easiest.)



The Food Essentials

Chicken soup: It's not all in your head; there's scientific proof that chicken soup really does help soothe cold symptoms, so buy a few cans for your pantry, or make and freeze a big homemade batch. 

Looking for the perfect soup recipe? Try one of these → 5 Soups to Soothe a Cold and From Chicken Noodle to Egg Drop: 10 Soothing Broth-Based Soups.

Applesauce: An essential part of the BRAT diet, applesauce is low in fiber but has lots of calories, so it's easy on a delicate stomach.

Bread for toast: Keep a loaf of sliced bread in your freezer, and you'll be so glad you have some bread around when you can't keep anything else down.

Quick-prep frozen meals: If your stomach isn't the problem and you're just wallowing in a head cold, quick-prep frozen meals (like these Trader Joe's recommendations) mean you can get some food in 

your system fast. You can also reheat one of these excellent freezer meals.

Your favorite comfort foods: This is different for everyone. What makes you feel good when you're sick? Maybe it's something from childhood, like mashed potatoes or a bowl of ramen noodles. Whatever it is, pick it (or the ingredients to make it) up the next time you go to the grocery store.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Fun Facts: The movie "Halloween" was made in only 21 days in 1978 on a very limited budget. You can learn more here.